It first looked like you could use their super track to just extend your rail length instead of getting another, longer, profile. But as I continue to look, I’m no longer sure of that.

A little bit intrigued by their clamp brackets as well. Wonder if they would work on the MFS. I’ve been trying to find some additional ones for my MFS setup with no luck to date. Wonder is they are also One Time Tools.

Looks like they are offering a lock bar that supposedly allows one to use the Woodpeckers Super Track for the same purpose, but I don’t know how that could work without the slots in the end of the OTT VRJ profile rails. Any thoughts here?

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I wonder if half of a Unistrut 1/2" or 3/4" pipe clamp would work in the same way as the WP hold down clamps. When you look at them they don't look much different. If you were to bendthe ears on the unistrut clamp that lock into the strut up slightly they would lock into the T-slot in the track. Probably have to file off the points on the ears.

You could also bend yourself something similar from some 1/8" x 2" aluminum flat bar.

I wonder if half of a Unistrut 1/2" or 3/4" pipe clamp would work in the same way as the WP hold down clamps. When you look at them they don't look much different. If you were to bendthe ears on the unistrut clamp that lock into the strut up slightly they would lock into the T-slot in the track. Probably have to file off the points on the ears.

You could also bend yourself something similar from some 1/8" x 2" aluminum flat bar.

The Unistrut clamps work in tension so they aren't as thick as the WP clamps. My guess is that the Unistrut clamps are a thinner and much more flexible material and as such are less resistant to clamping pressure than the WP clamps.

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It first looked like you could use their super track to just extend your rail length instead of getting another, longer, profile. But as I continue to look, I’m no longer sure of that.

A little bit intrigued by their clamp brackets as well. Wonder if they would work on the MFS. I’ve been trying to find some additional ones for my MFS setup with no luck to date. Wonder is they are also One Time Tools.

Looks like they are offering a lock bar that supposedly allows one to use the Woodpeckers Super Track for the same purpose, but I don’t know how that could work without the slots in the end of the OTT VRJ profile rails. Any thoughts here?

I don't think so, unless you don't need to run the router past that clamp location.

The actual MFS profile is about half as high as the WP Supertrack which this new kit is made from, so on the real MFS the clamp would sit (partially) above the top of the profile.

I wonder if half of a Unistrut 1/2" or 3/4" pipe clamp would work in the same way as the WP hold down clamps. When you look at them they don't look much different. If you were to bendthe ears on the unistrut clamp that lock into the strut up slightly they would lock into the T-slot in the track. Probably have to file off the points on the ears.

You could also bend yourself something similar from some 1/8" x 2" aluminum flat bar.

The Unistrut clamps work in tension so they aren't as thick as the WP clamps. My guess is that the Unistrut clamps are a thinner and much more flexible material and as such are less resistant to clamping pressure than the WP clamps.

Good point. The design is similar though. It wouldn't be difficult to make something but WP only wants $12 for a set of clamps so not going to break the bank. Still it's something that is easy to make.

I wonder if half of a Unistrut 1/2" or 3/4" pipe clamp would work in the same way as the WP hold down clamps.

Those WP hold downs are totally unnecessary even if you don't use t-slots for clamping. The extrusion is about 10 cm wide, so, depending on the router and bushing you use, the outer >2 cm edge of extrusion is always free. You can clamp them directly.

FWIW...I contacted Woodpeckers yesterday and asked them some questions about the new offering. My questions are in blue while the reply is in black.

Thanks for the interest, here are the answers to your questions:

1. If I wanted to route long flutes in wood columns, I’d need to replace 2 of the 18” tracks with either 48” or 60” Super tracks. How would these long rails attach to the jig?We designed an injection molded “lockbar” that enables you to connect the tracks in an L-shape. In the track that comes with the kit, and the 32” tracks, we have machined openings that accepts a stamped washer and a 10-32 SHCS. The SHCS thread into the inserts in the lockbar, which in turn, slip into the side slots on the track. The longer tracks will not have the machined slots, but can still be attached to the tracks from the kit.

2. Will they already have slots milled in them to accept the lockbar kits? Only the 18” & 32” tracks will have the milled slots.

3. What is the squareness of the ends of the Super track after it is cut?The squareness is excellent. We recently installed a CNC saw that is extremely accurate.

4. What is the thickness of the metal used in the stainless clamps? The clamps are 3/16” CRS and will be zinc plated.

5. Festool offers a router support, the 465489, which supports the other side of the router when the rails are spread apart. Do you plan on offering something similar? No, we are not. I have owned the MFS400 for several years now, and that adapter will only work on Festool Routers. It would be pretty much impossible to have an adapter for every major router manufacturer out there. For mine, I milled some hardwood to the thickness of the track, (approximately .700), put a counterbored hole in it, and attached that to my router.

How would you attach the plain SuperTrack to the kit without the slots?

My thought is that you’d have to attach the existing 18” or 32” tracks to a Super track using a rail connector similar to the one used for connecting Festool rails. If so, that’s certainly not a very elegant solution.

That would also explain why the longer tracks are not laser marked. They don’t know if you’re adding the Super track to an 18” or 32” section.

I’d really rather see the longer Super tracks laser marked and have slots milled in them to mirror the clean design of the 18” & 32” tracks. I would doubt that’d be more than a $10 upcharge per track.

Don't the 80/20 folks have reasonable upcharges for milling connector holes in the ends of their extrusions? I'm thinking someone has figured this one out.

Yes 80/20 does...I mentioned in another thread that I own a Woodpeckers 50" rule that is laser engraved, my question was, then why can't a 48" Super track also be laser engraved? If the laser can do 50", it should certainly be able to do 48".

Where I'm going with this is large pieces of capital equipment, be it a CNC, laser or automated plasma cutter, the only way you get your monetary payback is to place it in service and use it 24/7. A piece of capital equipment sitting idle is actually costing you money.

Don't the 80/20 folks have reasonable upcharges for milling connector holes in the ends of their extrusions? I'm thinking someone has figured this one out.

Yes 80/20 does...I mentioned in another thread that I own a Woodpeckers 50" rule that is laser engraved, my question was, then why can't a 48" Super track also be laser engraved? If the laser can do 50", it should certainly be able to do 48".

Where I'm going with this is large pieces of capital equipment, be it a CNC, laser or automated plasma cutter, the only way you get your monetary payback is to place it in service and use it 24/7. A piece of capital equipment sitting idle is actually costing you money.

It would seem they could do a 48 inch length on that machine. The question is why Woodpeckers is not recognizing a sustainable market for this product. One could argue it might be more user friendly than the MFS and has the potential for added componentry, like for countertop joining or special radius inserts for the corners to make custom cut-outs.